Edge binding and counter construction for moccasins



W. A. FOSTER April 17, 1951 EDGE BINDING AND COUNTER CONSTRUCTION FOR MOCCASINS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 29, 1948 April 17, 1951 w FOSTER 2,548,961

EDGE BINDING AND COUNTER CONSTRUCTION FOR MOCCASINS Filed June 29, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 "upper member,

Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT owl clef EDGE BINDING AND COUNTER CONSTRUC I TION FOR MOCCASINS I Wilbur A. Foster, Rowley, Mass.

Application June 29, 1948, Serial No. 35,933

My invention relates to footwear and in particular to improvements in the construction of moccasins.

Although moccasins are popular by reason of their great comfort and flexibility, they have been subject to the serious disadvantage that the unstiifened heel pocket breaks down after a relatively short period of wear so that it is diflicult to keep the moccasins from slipping off the foot; moreover, when the heel pocket is crushed down, the appearance of the moccasin is not only ruined but the wearer is also subjected to annoyance and discomfort. By virtue of the fact that a true moccasin is conventionally made from a blank extending beneath the foot and up on the sides as a one piece sole and upper member, it is not possible to last in a counter stiffener and lining by conventional shoemaking processes wherein a counter stiffener is inserted between a lining and an upper which are lasted over and secured to an insole.

The most important object of my invention is to provide adequate stiffening reinforcement to the heel pocket portion of a conventional moccasin in order'to improve its wearing performance as well as its appearance.

A further object of my invention is to provide a moccasin combining the comfort and flexibility of the conventional moccasin together with the degree of support and shape-retaining qualities incident to footwear lasted by conventional methods.

An important feature of the invention resides in a moccasin including a one-piece sole and upper member, a forepart plug, a molded counter stiffener, and a lining covering the counter stiffener and extending upwardly beyond its edge where it is secured to the upper in position to be substantially concealed by the overhang of a conventionally'beaded edge formed along the top of the moccasin.

Another feature of my invention resides in a moccasin including in its structure a molded counter stiifener and a tuck carrying a conventional steel shank support and arranged to cover the bottom of the counter stiffener and lining.

These and other objects and features of my invention will be more readily understood and appreciated ,from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a moccasin constructed in accordance with my invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the one piece sole and 3 Claims. (Cl. 36- 11) Fi 3 is a plan view of the one piece sole and upper member wherein the zig-zag shank seam has been formed, 7 f

Fig. 4 is a view in perspective showing the method of closing the rear end of the moccasin, Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the rear' end of the moccasin disposed on a last and showing the application of the backstay,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the forepart plug, Fig. '7 is a view in perspective of the counter stiffener, lining and tuck; s Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of the lasted moccasin showing the formation of the forepart seams, V

Fig. 9 is a bottom plan view of the finished moccasin, v

Fig. 10 is a view in cross section along the line |0-|0 of Fig. 9, and 5 Fig. 11 is a viewin cross section along the line ll-ll of Fig. 9.

In constructing a moccasin in accordancewith my invention I first provide a blank I [I of leather cut as shown in Fig. 2 to have a's'ole shaped area (indicated by the brokenline), quarters, and the lower portion of a vamp; the blank being bevelled or skived along its rounded forward end as shown at 12 and also skived along a rounded projection extending from the central part of the rear end of the blank as shown at [4. The blank I0 is provided in the shank portion with a serpentine cut-out I6, while a pairof square tabs I8 extend from its rear corners. The next step in the construction of the moccasin is to draw together the edges of the cut-out [6' by means of a zig-zag seam 20 as shown in Fig. 2; this seam contracts the shank portion of the blank I0 and establishes the proper curves through the shank portion of the upper. I next bring the edges of the tabs l8 together by means of'azigzag seam 22 as shown in Fig. 4, the bottom edges of the tabs l8 being'brought into contact with the-skived edge M to form a curved lip 24 at the extreme rear end of the moccasin; A-backstay 26 formed of a quadrilateral piece of leather-is secured to the tab s l8 by means of substantially vertical seams 28, thus reinforcing the rear end of the moccasin and concealing the zig-zag seam 22;

I next form a beaded edgealong the upper portion of the moccasin by taking a'narrow strip of leather 58; placingit inside out along the upper edge of the inside of member Iii and securing it by means-of a line of stitching 60. :After the seam 60 has been formed,.the strip 58 is The seam 6B is thereby concealed in a smooth beaded or rolled edge formed along the opening of the moccasin. When this has been accomplished the moccasin is ready for lasting.

The first step in lasting the moccasin is to provide a unit comprising a molded counter stifiener 34 of a conventional material such as leather or fiber board molded to the shape desired for the rear end or heel pocket portion of the moccasin and having an inwardly turned base flange. A lining 38 of smooth flexible leather is cemented to the inside of the counter stiffener 34 to cover the base flange as well as the inside of the counter stiffener and is dimensioned to extend upwardly about a half inch beyond the upper edge of the stiffener 34. A tuck or Dutchman 36 of fiber board or stiff leather is then secured to the base flange of the counter stiffener by a pair of oppositely disposed staples 40. The tuck 3B is dimensioned to extend from the rear end of the moccasin to theforward end of the shank and the unit comprising the tuck, the counter stifiener and the lining is shown in Fig. 7. The unit shown is slipped over the rear end of a last 32 and the one-piece sole and upper member ID together with the backstay 26 is slipped over the last 32 and secured in positionby means of a tack 56 driven through the backstay and the upper at the rear end of the shoe. Other lasting tacks 54 secure the forepart of the upper to the last and also secure the forepart plug 44 shown in plan view in Fig. 6 and in lasting position in Fig. 8.

At this time the bottom of the backstay 26 may be sewed to the lip 24 as shown in Fig. wherein a length of shoemakers thread 29, having leaders 3| at each end, is passed through appropriate awl holes to form a seam 3D and complete the closing of the heel pocket of the moccasin.

The next step is to secure the forepart plug 44 to the upper [0 by the formation of a conventional moccasin seam 52. In this operation the skived edges 46 and I2 are brought together and the seam progressively formed by passing shoemakers thread 48 through awl holes, the thread being equipped at each end'with a leader Hi. When this operation has been accomplished, the shoe is unlasted and an outsole 64 is cemented in place on the bottom of the sole area of the member ID. The moccasin is then taken to a stitching machine provided with an appropriate horn attachment by virtue of which two outsole seams are formed. There is an outer seam G6 commencing at the breast line on one side, running forwardly around the toe and back to the breast line on the other side. A similar seam 68 parallels the seam B4 and reinforces the union of the elements of the moccasin. At the rear of the shoe the seams 68 and t6 pass through the outsole 64, the member Ill and the tuck 36.. If

desired the seams may be extended rearwardly to catch the forward ends of the counter stiffener 34 and the lining 38. A heel 10 of leather, rubber or other suitable material is secured in place on the outsole 64 in a conventional heel nailing operation in the course of which a series of nails 12 are driven through the heel, through the member 10, through the counter stiffener 34, giro lilriing 38 and the tuck 36, as clearly shown in The final step in making the moccasin conszsts in securing the lining 38 to the member 10 by means of a seam 62 which runs substantially parallel to the upper beaded edge 58 of th mscasin and closely beneath it. After the seam 62 has been thus made, the excess material of the lining above the seam is trimmed off, care being taken that the final upper edge of the lining 38 lies snugly beneath the lower extremity of the inner overhang formed by the heel portion of the heading 58, the result being that the upper edge, of the lining is substantially concealed and the inner surface of said linin is a substantial continuation of the inner surface of said beading. A suitable dressing or wax may then be applied to the upper margin of the lining 38 and ironed so that in the finished shoe the upper edge of the lining is unnoticeable. When the beading 58 is applied, that portion of it which is folded over and down along the outer surface of the moccasin may be initially cemented in place and then caught in the seam 62, or the outer flap or overhang of the beading 58 may be initially secured by a separate seam.

In Fig. 11 I have shown how the moccasin may be made by using only two seams to secure the beading in place, the seam 62 serving to secure the lining 38 in place as well as to sew the outer flap of the beading 58 to the upper Hi. Other modifications will suggest themselves to skilled shoemakers. For example, in Figs. 1 and 7 I have shown cement applied to the outer surface of the counter stiifener for the purpose of forming an adhesive bond between the inner surface of the upper l0 and the counter stiffener. However, inasmuch as the stiffener is held in position by the tuck and by the heel nails as well as by the upper seam securing the lining in position, it is not essential that the counter stiffener be ccmented throughout. It will also be observed that the unit shown in Fig. '7 may be inserted after the shoe has been unlasted. and before the outsole is laid. However, I prefer to place'the unit upon the last and perform'the lasting operation with the stiffening unit in position since this promotes imparting the lines of the last to the finished moccasm.

In Fig. 1 I have shown a strip 14 secured across the moccasin at the throat to add a decorative feature to the moccasin as well as to reinforce the throat but this, as will readily be appreciated, is an optional feature.

It will be noted that a moccasin constructed in a manner herein'shown and described combines the conventional moccasin features with increased stability and improved appearance. That is to say, as in a conventional moccasin, the upper it continues under the foot to form the insole and a plug 44 is secured in position by means of a conventional moccasin seam 52, the construction of this portion of the shoe being accomplished in usual fashion. Consequently the finished shoe exhibits the flexibility and comfort for which moccasins are noted. However, the provision of the counter stiffener 34 provides for a stable, firmly shaped heel pocket instead of the conventional moccasin heel pocket so notoriously subject to crumpling and breaking down. Furthermore the tuck 36 together with the shank stifiener 42 provides the degree of rigid support generally desired in footwear. One important factor makin the improved moccasin possible is the disposition of the upper edge of the lining 38; that is to say. by concealing the upper edge directly beneath the lower extremity of the overhang of the conventional beading, I have succeeded in providing a moccasin in which the lining is smoothly 7; blended with the shoe without presentinga raw unsightly edge or involving conventional lasting or fitting room operations.

Having described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A moccasin comprising a one-piece sole and uppermember, a forepart plug sewn to said member, a seam closing the rear end of said member to form a heel receiving portion, said member having an upper edge strip turned inwardly f the heel portion and stitched thereto to form a beaded edge, a molded counter stiffener disposed in said heel receiving portion and terminating in spaced relation to the lower extremity of said edge strip, a lining covering said stiifener and terminating directly beneath and in close juxtaposition to said lower extremity and being substantially concealed thereby with the inner surface of said lining forming a substantial continuation of the inner surface of said beaded edge, and a seam securing said liningto said member, said seam running closely parallel to said lower extremity.

2. A moccasin having a one-piece sole and up per member, a forepart plug secured to the forepart of said member, a seam closing the rear end of said member to form a heel receiving portion, a strip of material folded around the upper edge of said member to form a beaded edge around the heel portion thereof, a flanged molded counter disposed Within said heel receiving portion, a lining covering the inside of said counter and extending upwardly beyond the upper edge thereof, the upper edge of said lining terminating directly beneath and substantially contiguous to the lower extremity of the inner portion of said folded strip of material and being substantially concealed thereby, and a line of stitches uniting the upwardly extending upper edge of the lining, said member, and the outer portion of said folded strip of material.

3. The combination of claim 2 in which said folded strip of material has the marginal part of its inner portion turned upwardly into engagement with the inner side of said member and a line of stitching joins only said upwardly turned portion and said member, said line of stitching being covered on the outside of said member by the outer portion of said folded strip of material.

WILBUR A. FOSTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,206,119 Llewellyn Nov. 28, 1916 1,453,924 Dodge May 1, 1923 1,878,876 Miller Sept. 20, 1932 2,086,526 Ashworth July 13, 1937 2,212,514 Engle Aug. 27, 1940 2,233,978 Gustin Mar. 4, 1941 2,309,582 Fraher Jan. 26, 1943 2,335,360 Russell Nov. 30, 1943 2,412,521 Lee Dec. 10, 1946 2,420,466 Cordeau May 13, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,312 Australia Jan. 30, 1936 

